EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

I take a picture of their driver's license.I ask for phone numbers that accept texts and any alternate land or business phone numbers.I ask for the names and birth dates of anyone under 18, and ask if there are any service / emotional support animals, together with their names and breeds.I also ask for personal references, previous landlord contact info (and length of time there), employer contact info (and how long there, together with earnings), as well as the name and contact information for their manager / boss.

And that can cost you time and money.

By creating a process, you can prevent these issues from taking place and save yourself a lot of time, trouble, and money.

Try to anticipate other potential avoidable situations with a follow up inspection to assess the Locksmith’s work and ask your tenant(s) if you can also use the time to assess for other issues such as unchanged HVAC filters, leaky pipes, working shutoff valves, working smoke detector batteries, properly working downspouts, clogged dryer vents, evidence of water damage from leaking roof, etc,etc,etc.

The bank and mortgage company we are using is giving us a hard time about us co-signing due to my separation and new job due to only having been separated a couple weeks now.

But at the same time, it could relieve our financial burden and set us up for future investments.What would you do in this situation?

The first time this happened, the board of directors got an email showing trash everywhere, and HOA management offered to get "their people" out there to clean asap. 

For a first time investor, I definitely recommend house hacking for most people as homeowner loans are by far the best in terms of rate and LTV. 

They build up the deposit over time